Disclaimer: I fully realize that the SDMB isn’t the place to get medical advice. However, the condition described below in no way harms me, causes me discomfort or appears to be worsening. In other words, I ask here out of curiousity and because the lack of severity isn’t worth a doctor’s visit and fees.
Way back in the day (about 1992 or so?), I got my ear pierced. It eventually became infected and wasn’t worth the effort to fight the growing red spot on my earlobe, so I chucked the earring and left it at that. The redness subsided, the strange yellow fluid stopped seeping from the hole… all was good.
However, to this day, it still seems “infected”. Infected in that over the course of months, some stuff still builds up inside the hole and eventually causes a small hard spot that, when squeezed, results in a little bit of thick white discharge almost like a pimple. Said discharge comes out of the front or back of the hole, depending on how I squeeze it. I find it hard to believe that it would still harbor infection after all this time (if nothing else, the few times I’ve been seriously sick and was given penicillin or amoxicillin prescriptions should have knocked out a pierced ear infection). I’ve done some experimental dabbing of hydrogen peroxide on the spot after squeezing it and it didn’t burst into foam, so that seems to rule out a massive colony of bacteria there as well (at least in my mind). However, I can’t argue that something is making white gunk in my earlobe. As stated above, it’s not really an issue with me in my daily life; it doesn’t hurt, it’s not noticeable to look at (I only notice the hard spot that indicates it’s ‘full’ when fiddling with my ear and feeling the spot) and it hasn’t gotten any better or worse in the past eight years. Still curious though, any ideas?
You say it doesn’t hurt? I’ve never had my ears pierced, but I get these hard lumps, which don’t hurt, in my earlobes occasionally. I have always been told they are sebaceous cysts. Could that be it? The ones I’ve had can’t really be seen on the surface of the skin, you can just feel them underneath. I’ve also never had one pop, they just dissolve away.
I’m not a doctor, but I live with one and have a good knowledge of ear-related infections. You need to be seen by a real doctor. This sounds more serious than you think.
This is a dangerous assumption - the 'cillin’s are just one type of antibiotic - and in an area like your ear, it can be very difficult to get delivery of even an effective antibiotic.
Another dangerous (and strange?) assumption.
Look, whatever reasons you have for not going, get over or around them somehow. You’re too valuable to all of us to not go. Ear infections are trivial a lot of the time, but when they aren’t they can be life threatening. This sounds serious and suspicious enough that my Doctor SO, reading over my shoulder, just said she would “order” you to come in immediately to be looked at.
Athracite, I know you posted the above out of the goodness of your heart and because you don’t want another poster to suffer needlessly. but i really think you oughta chill. i think i know what Jophiel is talking about, and i think i got it from having pierced lobes too.
Jophiel, it’s not like, pus consistency, correct? The whole mechanism is kind of like a toothpaste tube, that you apply by either applying a lot of pressure to the back (resulting in front-dispensing) or the front (i think you all can figure this one out yourself)? it almost comes out in a little white tube, highly reminiscent of a play-doh dispenser?
if so, i would say don’t worry. i’ve had that before when i have taken my earrings out for any extended period of time (few weeks or more). i know that just because i had it and am fine now is no proof that you won’t be fine, but my advice is to play it cool.
two things- you never said how long they have been out (real long time, like 1993?), and it doesn’t hurt to expel the discharge?
My daughter and I both have the same thing. It’s some sort of build up from in between the two layers skin inside the hole in your ear. My doctor says if it doesn’t change in amount, consistency or smell don’t worry about it. Doesn’t mean yours is the same (obligitory disclaimer) but I’d say it was safe to wait until you have to see the Dr. for something else.
I am not a doctor, nor do I play one on TV. (However I’d be happy to play doctor with one of the cuter posters behind the TV.)
Stuyguy votes with jb and the d-lady.
I’ve got the same thing. It works like an artificial, double-ended pimple. I figure its just soap and sweat and natural body oils mixed in with some common bacteria doing its thing in my earring hole. As long as the “walls” have healed, none of the goo is going to get into my system, so what’s the danger, right? Just squirt it clean every couple of weeks and you should be okay. So sez Stuyguy.
You guys seem to have the right of it and it’s good to know that I’m not the only one with funky earlobe goo. As stated, it’s a toothpaste like consistancy as opposed to a pussy (pus-like, thankyouverymuch) wound. It acts like the forementioned double-sided pimple and has been there for as long as I’ve had the earring out which would have been circa 1993. However, it doesn’t hurt, no smell, isn’t growing, no reddness… etc etc etc. I might bring it up next time I’m at the doctor’s because my arm fell off or something, but it’s not worth a $110 visit just to have the doctor poke at it, shrug, and say “that’s normal” (which it now seems to be).
I have it. Had it since high school and I still wear earings. Although mine sounds the same as above, if you smell that pus-crap, it reeks to high heaven! God does it smell bad. Don’t worry Joph, I don’t think your head is going to fall off, or blood spew from your ears just yet.
Jophiel – it sounds like you weren’t able to ever give your piercing a chance to heal. The discharge is just dead cells.
It does kind of bother me that it hasn’t stopped exuding discharge, though. I wouldn’t rush to a doctor, but next time you’re visiting one, ask nonchalantly about it. I suspect you might have to just treat it aggressively as if you were treating a new piercing, but it’s quite possible your doctor can provide you with something that clears it up.